First cook on the Ranch

mcgolden · September 30, 2018, 04:57:37 PM

So I wasn't cooking for a big crowd, but I've been itching to try out my ranch since I got it around a month ago. I figured it would be best to give it a go when I was just cooking for my family to see how it would go so I don't embarrass myself when it really counts. I wasn't quite sure how much charcoal I would need and what temps I'd get. I've got dual SlowNSear XLs but I thought I'd try one to start. The grill got to about 200 with 1/3 of the SNS filled with lit and the rest unlit. I was cooking a rack of St Lous ribs and a 5.5 pound packer brisket (I know, crazy small for a packer). Anyway, I wanted to cook at around 300 so I added in the second SNS XL which got me around 300 to 325. I put a chunk of Pecan on the cooking grate above the lit coals on one side which produced some nice smoke.

Lost track of time a bit, but I think I foiled the ribs about 2 hours in and the brisket shortly after.

After about 4 hours I pulled everything off and let it rest for a little bit.

Overall I'm very happy will the results. The brisket was tender and very tasty with a good smoke ring. Got some nice slices and even some burnt ends from this little guy. The ribs were fall of the bone tender (more my wife's preference than mine) and also very tasty.

Definitely not the most efficient grill. I used an 8lb bag of Stubbs which yielded about 5+ hours of burn time in the low 300s. But honestly, I found such good deals on charcoal last year (mostly Weber), I'm not worried about it. I am very happy with the 2 SlowNSear XLs. They worked nicely for smoking and I'm sure they'll make great charcoal baskets for regular cooks.

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michaelmilitello · September 30, 2018, 06:08:41 PM

Nice cook! What were your vent settings?

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mcgolden · September 30, 2018, 06:29:09 PM

Quote from: michaelmilitello on September 30, 2018, 06:08:41 PM
Nice cook! What were your vent settings?

I think I was about 1/2 open on all dampers, top and bottom. Sometimes less on the bottom dampers. Occasionally I made some adjustments.

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Jon · September 30, 2018, 11:35:17 PM

That is a great cook. For most cooks I run one dampener fully open on the bottom and adjust the top. The Ranch is a great cooker. It is surprising how even the temps are across the cooking grate.

mcgolden · October 01, 2018, 03:28:44 AM

Quote from: Jon on September 30, 2018, 11:35:17 PM
That is a great cook. For most cooks I run one dampener fully open on the bottom and adjust the top. The Ranch is a great cooker. It is surprising how even the temps are across the cooking grate.

Is this for hot cooks or for smoking? Also, how do you decide which bottom damper to keep open, or does it matter?

Thanks

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GrillGuyMosier · October 01, 2018, 07:06:23 AM

I always cook with top vent fully open on all kettles/smokers from the 14 to the ranch. I know a 3x2 snake will get you about 250. I only used my ranch a handful of times so I don't have much more info

mcgolden · October 01, 2018, 09:18:55 AM

Quote from: GrillGuyMosier on October 01, 2018, 07:06:23 AM
I always cook with top vent fully open on all kettles/smokers from the 14 to the ranch. I know a 3x2 snake will get you about 250. I only used my ranch a handful of times so I don't have much more info

I actually started with the top almost fully open but had to shut things down a bit as my temps got too high. Probably should have started with a little less lit charcoal. Hadn't thought about using a snake on the ranch. Will have to try that.

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smokymtnjonny · October 01, 2018, 04:48:25 PM

Awesome cook for a first cook!

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First cook on the Ranch